meals and food choices...
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I would not like that here or there, I would not like that anywhere, I do not like honey glazed liver.....I do not like them i tell you man!
I would not could not with a mouse, I would not could not in a house........
That is my favorite kids book and I know it by heart!
That is my favorite kids book and I know it by heart!
Seuss is a genius. That's all there is to it! I adore all of his stories. My son especially loved "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" We went through three copies of the shortened board book version.
I think that this is a common enough concern, and I agree with it. In all things moderation.NancyM said:
My son was labeled a picky eater early. My MIL would bring out this, and then then that and then the other until meal time was a miserable experience. I think extremes of either type are a bad idea.
In my opinion, the less said the better. Meal time should be a pleasant time. Arguments are not conducive to digestive health!
I'm definitely on the side of preparing good food, having good food in the house, enjoying some foods that are not so good for you but taste really good, and not being too controlling. There are plenty of good foods that kids love - and you know what, I tend to like most of them, too. On the other hand, sometimes my kids don't like what's prepared, they don't eat much, and they still thrive just fine. I don't make a big deal out of it.
I agree that there are many variables and one of the main ones is the example set by parents. If you eat good foods all the time and you set the precedence that all are together at dinner time and we eat what we have then I think it is a good practice to expect the kids to eat what they are offered. If however, you have not set that example from the very beginning it is a difficult thing to begin.
I also think that you have to take into account that our taste buds change over time and kids are ever evolving in this area. Even as an adult I have certain textures and flavors that I detest and in fact cannot stomach without extreme camouflage (cauliflower). I have a child who is an extremely picky eater and a hsitory of terror from my childhood when a caretaker forced myself and brother to eat what we did not like. I do not recall much from my childhood but I do remember the feelings and emotions from that experience and that is something I do not want to deal with in my home with my children.
I do not think that I am a bad parent for not forcing my child to eat "healthy" but I also do not pass judgment on others who live this way. We all have our own homes to govern and we must do teh best we can within those walls. To me the most important thing is to keep a spirit of love present as often as possible.
I also think that you have to take into account that our taste buds change over time and kids are ever evolving in this area. Even as an adult I have certain textures and flavors that I detest and in fact cannot stomach without extreme camouflage (cauliflower). I have a child who is an extremely picky eater and a hsitory of terror from my childhood when a caretaker forced myself and brother to eat what we did not like. I do not recall much from my childhood but I do remember the feelings and emotions from that experience and that is something I do not want to deal with in my home with my children.
I do not think that I am a bad parent for not forcing my child to eat "healthy" but I also do not pass judgment on others who live this way. We all have our own homes to govern and we must do teh best we can within those walls. To me the most important thing is to keep a spirit of love present as often as possible.
I'll chime in again, with a recent thing. DS1, who's 8, will be 9 in March, just had a physical, and he was 95th percentile for height and about 8 or 10 lbs over the 95th percentil for weight. I asked him if he knew what this meant, and he said "Yeah, i have to lose 10 pounds." And I said, "No, what it means is that as you grow, we need to be sure you're eating better so your height catches up with your weight. We all need to eat better in this family, so we're going to focus on healthier meals, fewer snacks and putting good fuel in our bodies. He's active and he doesn't look overweight, but he is getting just a little belly. So, now's the time to be sure he's drinking water at soccer practice instead of gatorade, and that we pack good food for practice night meals on the go instead of fast food stops. Those two things alone will probably have him back in line in a couple of months.
I agree that we need to eat healthy but I think many of us have an improper understanding of what this means. Snacking or "grazing" throughout the day is actually better for us then 3 main meals. We just need to make sure that we are snacking on good things for our bodies.
The other big thing I get riled up about though is the supposed need to be like everyone else. We are constantly comparing ourselves and each other and we seem to have this idea that everybody should grow the same, look the same and act the same. We are individuals. We are meant to be different. it is not a bad thing. We need to eat properly. We need to take care of our bodies and not poison them but I think our emotional and spiritual well being is just as important and we should not act in ways that will cause our children (or ourselves) to feel of less worth because of our "shape".
The other big thing I get riled up about though is the supposed need to be like everyone else. We are constantly comparing ourselves and each other and we seem to have this idea that everybody should grow the same, look the same and act the same. We are individuals. We are meant to be different. it is not a bad thing. We need to eat properly. We need to take care of our bodies and not poison them but I think our emotional and spiritual well being is just as important and we should not act in ways that will cause our children (or ourselves) to feel of less worth because of our "shape".
Alas our shape and our health are inextricably linked. Over-weight-ness (I love making up words) is a health risk, regardless of what fat acceptors would have us believe. The vast majority of us aren't ever be supermodels, and we can probably thank our lucky stars for that. But we CAN teach our kids about health; dental health, nutritious and healthful food, teh risk of obesity, diabetes, alcohol and drug use... the whole shooting match.
I think the percentile measure of acceptable growth and size is a stupid measure. But I am not sure what would be sensible to replace it with. Docs need some kind of measure over time to identify failure to thrive, weight issues... I wonder if just charting the height and weight and looking at bmi would work?
I think the percentile measure of acceptable growth and size is a stupid measure. But I am not sure what would be sensible to replace it with. Docs need some kind of measure over time to identify failure to thrive, weight issues... I wonder if just charting the height and weight and looking at bmi would work?
There are many tests available to us in these modern times to allow us to know how healthy our bodies are. Blood work often tells the story that is invisible otherwise. There are many simple things that can be looked at to determine how healthy one is. I just think we need to lean more on the facts rather than assumptions or comparisons. What we need more of is proper parental discipline (not dictatorship) and self discipline. If we are taught what is right and how to control ourselves then it will be much easier to do so. If we see one thing and hear another then we gain nothing. We as parents must live our lives the way we expect or "need" our children to live it. If we cannot live properly then we are to blame for a future degenerate society.
I know it's not a big deal for all of you but as I have a child with diabetes I would like to say that food doesnt cause diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease, type 2 is a metabolic disease. Food plays a huge factor is Type 2 diabetes but it is not the sole cause. heredity, and environment also play a big role.
No big deal. I just think there are a lot of misconceptions about type one...I just like to educate whenever I can
